substantiate
Americanverb (used with object)
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substantiates,
present (3rd person singular)
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substantiated,
past participle, past
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substantiating
present participle
-
to establish by proof or competent evidence.
to substantiate a charge.
-
to give substantial existence to.
to substantiate an idea through action.
-
to affirm as having substance; give body to; strengthen.
to substantiate a friendship.
verb
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to establish as valid or genuine
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to give form or real existence to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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substantiationnoun
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substantiatornoun
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resubstantiateverb (used with object)
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substantiatableadjective
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substantiativeadjective
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unsubstantiatableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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substantiatesimple
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substantiatessimple
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have substantiatedperfect
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has substantiatedperfect
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am substantiatingprogressive
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are substantiatingprogressive
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is substantiatingprogressive
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have been substantiatingperfect progressive
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has been substantiatingperfect progressive
Past
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substantiatedsimple
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had substantiatedperfect
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was substantiatingprogressive
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were substantiatingprogressive
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had been substantiatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of substantiate
First recorded in 1650–60; from New Latin substantiātus (past participle of substantiāre ), equivalent to Latin substanti(a) substance + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To substantiate is to give support to a claim. We’d really like to believe in the Tooth Fairy; however, more evidence is needed to substantiate her existence (besides that quarter in your pocket). Substantiate is related to the word substantial, which means "solid." So, to substantiate a claim is to make it solid or believable. If the evidence given in support of an argument is weak and unconvincing, that evidence can be described as insubstantial. Of course, in special cases like the Tooth Fairy, having substantial evidence doesn’t seem to matter; fans just keep on believing.
Vocabulary lists containing substantiate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Justice Brendan Lantry pressed Mastro to substantiate his allegations against the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Investigators ultimately said there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
State legislative panels convened to investigate the allegations also fizzled out after they were unable to substantiate such claims.
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2026
Officials said they have no information to substantiate the claim that the grenades were kept overnight in their trucks or home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
According to Thorne, "he did not understand the laws of physics well enough to be able to substantiate his ideas."
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
And it substantiates the argument Sir Keir himself made in the House of Commons.
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026
Season 3’s Mind Flayer substantiates every hormonal nightmare in a single terror, series writer Kate Trefry told Entertainment Weekly in 2019.
From Salon ● Nov. 24, 2025
“We think that it substantiates that it is Amtrak’s fault and not Mr. Brown’s,” Bremseth said.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2022
It substantiates — it symphonizes — the I among the we.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2021
“Apparently, it’s public record, and it substantiates what you described. He told me that we should look at it”—Gay paused meaningfully—“before too long.”
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
“These violations substantiated in the investigation reflect a pattern of behavior that does not meet the standards of this administration,” Sherrill said Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
“My testimony and the testimony of the other women were substantiated by investigators,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
If a claim is substantiated, the plagiarist is seen as sloppy or lazy at best, and fundamentally dishonest at worst.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
"No court, no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me," Miller said in a video posted Sunday, insisting he would remain in the race and win.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Evidence Against Her or Suspicious Circumstances: Story of man in her compartment is substantiated by the evidence of Hardman and that of the woman Schmidt.
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
Federal officials have not publicly presented evidence substantiating them.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
This watershed boxed set features cutting-edge remasters of the singer’s 1920s recordings, substantiating her centrality in blues and beyond.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
But Marx hasn’t done a very good job substantiating them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
There is no evidence substantiating concerns of bias at a school after it cancelled a visit from a Jewish MP, a watchdog ruled.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
The matter was laid over until to-day to enable the defendant to produce certain papers in court substantiating his claim to pasturage along Spur Creek.
From The Boy Ranchers at Spur Creek or Fighting the Sheep Herders by Howard L. (Howard Livingston) Hastings
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
